Means for passing plates, sheets, bars or other articles through acid treatment baths, furnaces, or the like



p 1937- H. s. THOMAS ET AL 2,077,499

MEANS FOR PASSING PLATES, SHEETS, BARS OR OTHER ARTICLES THROUGH ACID TREATMENT BATHS, FURNACES, OR THE LIKE Filed April 24, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 o g &

f/ufiefi S Thoma/s William R. Davies Uw'u' fllfornegg I Apnl 20, 1937. H. s. THOMAS ET AL 2,077,499

MEANS FOR PASSING PLATES, SHEETS, BARS OR OTHER ARTICLES THROUGH ACID TREATMENT BATHS, FURNACES, OR THE LIKE Filed April 24, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 2' Inventors HuerhiT/Lonzas Wa'ZZiwmR.Dm/Zes April 20, 1937. H. s. THOMAS ET AL 2,077,499

MEANS FOR PASSING PLATES, SHEETS BARS OR OTHER ARTICLES THROUGH ACID TREATMENT BATHS, FURNACES OR THE LIKE Filed April 24, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FOR- PASSING PLATES, SHEETS, BARS OTHER ARTICLES THROUGH ACID TREATMENT BATHS, FURNACES, OR. THE

LIKE

Application April 24, 1935, Serial No. 18,968 In Great Britain April 2'7, 1934 2 Claims.

This invention has reference to improvements in or relating to the method and means for passing plates, sheets, bars or other articles through pickling or acid treatment baths, furnaces, or

5 the like.

In order that the invention may be the better understood we remark that means for the purpose aforesaid have been heretofore proposed whereby the sheets or other articles to be treated 10: are fed through the pickling bath or the like by step-by-step stages, the said means embodying partitioning comb-like devices or racks adapted to co-operate in the working of the machine to effect the said step-by-step feed.- through the 15. bath, furnace, or the like.

In the specification of Letters Patent No. 1,869,287 of which we are the patentees there is described an improved method and means of passing plates, sheets, bars or other articles by 20 step-by-step stages through acid treatment baths,

furnaces or the like, characterized by a stationary member provided with a rack, or plurality of racks, disposed within the bath or furnace, each space of the rack, or each set of co-operating spaces of the racks, where a plurality of racks is employed being adapted to receive a plate, sheet or other article, or plates, sheets or other articles, the said stationary member co-acting with a relatively movable member also 30 furnished with a similar rack, or plurality of racks, and adaptedin the operation of the machine to work around or within the stationary member in a cycle of operations involving upward, forward, downward and rearward movements and whereby the plates, sheets or other articles are raised from the stationary member, moved a step forward in relation thereto and re-deposited thereon and thus progressively passed through the bath or furnace along the rack or racks of the said stationary member to a delivery mechanism.

The present invention has for its objects to expedite and render more efficient the opera tion of machines of the kind or type aforesaid and thereby considerably to, increase their output.

The invention consists of the hereinafter describedimprovements in or modifications of the method and means described in the aforesaid specification and is characterized in that both the racks, or both of each pair of racks, where a plurality of co-operating pairs is employed, are adapted to receive a rising and falling motion in the bath, furnace or the like, one of 5 5 the said racks, or one of each co-operating pair,

being also adapted to receive at properly synchronized times in the rising and falling motions a, horizontal or to and fro motion for the purpose of effecting the requisite progressive or stepby-step transference of the plates or the like along the other rack of the co-operating pair.

A convenient embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate its application to mechanism to be employed in the manufacture of tinplates for passing the plates through the pickling bath, or as shown in the drawings, through two pickling baths arranged side by side.

Figure l of the drawings represents the mechanism in plan.

Figure 2 is a back elevation of the same with the rear wall of the pickling baths removed andv certain parts of the operating mechanism hereinafter referred to omitted.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on the plane indicated by the chain line 33, Figure 1.

In the said figures, the operable parts of the mechanism are represented in their normal positions and it is deemed unnecessary to show other views illustrating the relative displacements of the said parts in the operation of the machine as the same will be fully appreciated from the description of the mechanism.

The same numerals of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures.

In the embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in the drawings the co-operating racks, hereinafter referred to respectively as the plate supporting and the plate transferring racks and which racks are located in the baths 4 for effecting the step-by-step transference of the plates therethrough in a manner similar to that described in the prior patent specification above referred to, are each constituted by a series of pronged or comb-like members denoted respectively by the references 5 and ii, the said members being mounted at suitably spaced apart intervals on carrier bars or frames 5 and 6 respectively.

The said racks are normally disposed as shown one below the other in the baths 4, the plate supporting racks, comprising the pronged or comb-like members 5 and frame 5 being uppermost, and the corresponding prongs 5 and 6 of these racks are arranged somewhat out of alignment so as not to obstruct each other in the relative rising and falling motions of the racks.

The plate supporting rack in each bath is connected at the respective sides of the frame 5* thereof to the lower end of a pair of upwardly extending parallel bars or rods the upper ends whereof are connected by a horizontal bar member 5 and the plate transferring rack in each bath is likewise connected by its frame 6 to pairs of parallel bars or rods 6 connected at their upper ends by a bar 6.

The said pairs of bars 5 and 6 are adapted to perform a vertical sliding motion in guideways provided in, or on, upper and lower longitudinally extending bar members forming parts of or carried by the side standards or framing of the machine, the guideways for the parallel bars 5* which carry the plate supporting racks being conveniently formed in blocks "I provided on the fixed parallel longitudinal bar members 8 and 9 of the framing while the guideways for the sliding bars 6 which carry the plate transferring racks are provided in blocks II) on the parallel longitudinal members II and I2 which members are so mounted on the fixed standard or framing at the respective outer ends of the baths and at their adjoining ends that they can perform a horizontal forward and backward sliding motion relative to the framing.

The horizontal bars 5 which connect the upper ends of the pairs of slidable bars 5 carrying the plate supporting racks are connected by pivotal links I3 to the ends of lever or crank-like arms I4 carried by a shaft I5 which extends transversely across the upper part of the machine and is supported in the bearing blocks I6 mounted on convenient parts of the framing as for example the longitudinal members H.

The pairs of slidable bars 6* carrying the plate transferring rack in each bath are interconnected by a transverse member I8 which is connected by the pivotal links I9 to pairs of crank or lever-like arms 20 carried by another transversely disposed shaft 2I supported in bearings on the framing of the machine, the said bearings being disposed in a lower horizontal plane but preferably in the same vertical plane as the bearings I 6 which carry the shaft I5 to which the slidable bar members 5 carrying the plate supporting racks are connected.

The two lever carrying shafts I5 and 2| are geared to each other at one, or preferably both ends thereof by toothed wheels or pinions 22, 23 of equal diameters and the shaft 2I carrying the pinions 23 is adapted to receive a partial reciprocatory rotary motion. The reciprocatory motions of the pinions 23 on the shaft 2| are communicated to the pinions 22 on the shaft I5 and hence the geared shafts are, when the machine is running, caused partially to rotate uniformly in opposite directions, their direction of rotation being intermittently reversed.

The reciprocatory motions of the shafts I5 and 2| are communicated to pairs of lever or cranklike arms I4 and 20 respectively carried thereby and thus on partial rotation of the shafts in one direction the angle between the one pair and the other pair of arms will be increased, while on partial rotation in the opposite direction it will be reduced. These motions of thelever or crank-like arms effect the sliding motions of the pairs of bar members 5 and 6 which carry the racks and when the levers are moved in the direction which increases the angle between them the plate supporting racks move upwardly while the plate transferring racks move downwardly.

On motion of the levers I4 and 20 in the opposite direction the plate supporting racks descend while the plate transferring racks ascend and when by these relative motions of the two racks the bottom edge of the plate, or edges of the plates, which are temporarily lifted from the plate supporting racks by the transferring racks are carried above the upper ends of the prongs of the members 5 which constitute the supporting racks, the transferring racks are given a predetermined forward motion such as will bring the plate, or any plates which are occupying the spaces of the transferring racks, into position above the supporting racks one space nearer to the delivery end thereof, and when the motions of the racks are again reversed the plate, or plates, are deposited in this advanced stage in the supporting racks until finally they successively reach the end thereof and are delivered from the machine between delivery rolls such as are indicated at 24 in Figure 3.

When the transferring racks have again been moved to the lowered position they are iven a rearward motion, the forward and rearward motions being communicated by the sliding motion of longitudinal members I I and I2 hereinbefore referred to which carry the guide blocks ID in which the vertical bars 6 carrying the transferring racks are adapted to slide.

Convenient means for effecting the aforesaid reciprocation of the shaft 2I carrying the gear wheels 23 comprise a depending lever-like arm 25 having a preferably adjustable connection as at 25 with a connecting rod 26 the other end whereof has connection with a crank 21 on a shaft 28 carrying a spur wheel 29 which is driven by a suitable gear train from the main gear box of the machine.

The requisite reciprocation of the longitudinal bar members II and I2 which members are braced apart by vertical members I2 may conveniently be effected through linkage such as is shown in Figures 1 and 3, but omitted from Fig ure 2, said linkage comprising bars or members 30 and SI pivoted at their lower ends to the gear box or other fixed part of the machine, and having their upper ends connected by the members 30 and 3P to the respective ends of the double armed lever member 32 mounted on and serving to rock the shaft 33 extending transversely across the machine, the said shaft carrying arms 34 which have pivotal connection with the bars 35 the other ends whereof have connection as at I2 with the rear bracing vertical members between the slidable longitudinal bars II and I2.

The bars 30 and SI are adapted to be respectively acted on by cams 36 and 31 (shown only in Figure 3) mounted on the rotating shaft 28, and the action of the cam 31 on the bar 3I serves to move the horizontal bars I I and I2 and therethrough the bars 6 and transferring racks carried thereby when in the raised position, to the requisite extent forwardly for effecting the transferring operation, while the action of the cam 36 on the bar 30 co-operates in effecting the return of the transferring racks to their normal position.

It will be appreciated that by giving relative motion to both the supporting and transferring racks the vertical travel requisite in the operations and thus the stroke of the machine is reduced by one half.

A further advantage obtained by the improvements described is that owing to the movement of the lever arms I4 and 20 and parts operable thereby in opposite directions in the working of the machine, the weight of the one set of parts more or less counterbalances the other and the provision of heavy counterbalancing weights is rendered unnecessary.

It is preferred however to extend the lever arms l4 and 20 and provide counterbalance weights 38 thereon.

Another advantage arising from the improved means or method described is that the oppositely moving plate supporting and plate transferring racks cause such surging in the pickling liquid in the baths that the action thereof on the plates, or other articles treated in the machine is greatly enhanced.

A single plate only, marked X, is shown in Figure 3 in its initial position in the plate supporting rack, and the mechanism for delivering the plates to the rolls 39 (Figure 3) and for conveying them from the front of the machine after treatment constitutes no part of the present invention and is therefore omitted.

We wish it to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise details of the mechanism described for carrying the invention into effect as the same may be varied without departing from the invention.

For example, when the invention is applied to a single bath or to baths, furnaces or the like wherein the full load on the supporting rack is comparatively light We may instead of providing operating rocker arms or levers l4 and 20 in connection respectively with the guides 5 and 6* at each side of the bath or the like, employ a single rocking arm or lever in operative connection with each rack, the said levers being disposed on the middle longitudinal plane of the bath or the like, the lever which operates the transferring rack being linked to a longitudinal bar such as 18 connecting the guides 6 and the lever for operating the supporting rack being connected to the middle of a longitudinal bar or rod carried by the 40 bars 5 at the upper ends of the guides 5 What we claim is:- 1. Means for passing plates, sheets, bars or other articles through acid treatment baths, furnaces or the like incorporating a feeding point, a delivery point, a pair of complementary rack members, a lever connected to each of said rack members, gearing interconnecting said levers, means for imparting a simultaneous oscillatory movement to said levers whereby the rack members are reciprocated vertically in opposite directions, guide means associated with one of the rack members and means for imparting a simultaneous to-and-fro motion to the said guide means whereby the rack member associated with the said guide means moves in a path involving successive upward, forward, downward and rearward movements relatively to the other rack member whereby articles are received from the feeding point and progressed in step-by-step stages through the bath, furnace or the like and finally lifted to the delivery point.

2. Means for passing plates, sheets, bars or other articles through acid treatment baths, furnaces or the like, incorporating a feeding point, a delivery point, a pair of complementary rack members, a lever associated with each of said rack members, a linkage connecting a lever to its respective rack member, gearing interconnecting said levers, a relatively fixed guiding means for one linkage, a relatively movable guiding means for the other linkage, means for imparting a simultaneous oscillatory movement in opposite directions to said levers and means acting on the movable guiding means whereby the rack member associated with this movable guiding means moves in a path involving successive upward, for- Ward, downward and rearward movements relatively to the other rack member whereby articles are received from the feeding point and progressed in step-by-step stages through the bath, furnace or the like and finally lifted to the delivery point.

HUBERT SPENCE THOMAS.

WILLIAM ROBERT DAVIES. 

